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Historical Perspective
Roles and Responsibilities
Careers in Rehabilitation
Licensure and Certification Options
Important Links/Resources
Historical Perspective
Following the industrial revolution
of the 1920’s and World War II in the 1940’s, the rehabilitation process and
the rights of persons with disability emerged as a critical issue in federal
legislation with the passing of the Rehabilitation Act of 1954. As part of
this legislation, federal funding was provided to educational programs to fund
the training of professionals with an expertise in rehabilitation, and thus
the rehabilitation counseling profession began to grow and establish its own
identity. Historically, rehabilitation counselors primarily served adult
workers with disabilities. Presently, rehabilitation counselors (RCs) are
recognized as a specialization within the counseling profession who can also
work with children and aging populations focusing on independent living and
quality of life issues.
Rehabilitation education has a long standing
commitment to educate and train students with the necessary skills to work
effectively with people with disabilities. There are rehabilitation
program options from the undergraduate through the doctoral level.
Nationally, there are approximately:
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55 undergraduate rehabilitation programs
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90 graduate programs
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30 doctoral rehabilitation programs
LSUHSC Department of Rehabilitation houses an
undergraduate and a graduate rehabilitation program. We are currently
ranked 14th in the nation among graduate and doctoral level programs.
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Roles and
Responsibilities
Rehabilitation counseling is a
specialized segment of the counseling profession which focuses on working with
persons with disability. This specialized knowledge of disabilities, chronic
illness and environmental factors differentiates rehabilitation counselors (RCs)
from other types of counselors. RCs work directly with persons with a
disability to support the movement from medical, psychological, educational,
social and economic dependence to independence. RCs often collaborate with a
variety of health and human service professionals, including, physicians,
nurses, therapists, attorneys, case managers, social workers, and employers, to help
persons with disability reach independent living goals and improve the quality
of life.
The specific techniques and modalities
utilized within this rehabilitation counseling process may include, but are
not limited to:
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assessment and appraisal;
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diagnosis and treatment
planning;
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career (vocational) counseling;
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individual and group
counseling treatment interventions focused on facilitating adjustments to the medical and psychosocial impact of disability;
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case management, referral, and
service coordination;
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program evaluation and research;
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interventions to remove
environmental, employment, and attitudinal barriers;
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consultation services among
multiple parties and regulatory systems;
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job analysis, job development,
and placement services, including assistance with employment and
job accommodations; and
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the provision of consultation
about and access to rehabilitation technology.
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Careers in Rehabilitation
Settings and Job Titles.
Traditionally, RCs
worked in state rehabilitation agencies and community rehabilitation programs
or vendors of the state rehabilitation agency. Today, RCs are using their
expertise to work in a variety of settings to assist persons with disability.
RCS can be found working in:
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The state vocational
rehabilitation agency (In Louisiana, the agency is Louisiana Rehabilitation
Services or LRS)
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Community
rehabilitation programs
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Public and private
not-for-profit community agencies
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Hospitals
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Substance abuse
facilities
¨ Mental health
facilities
¨ Insurance companies
¨ Private
rehabilitation firms
¨ Residential and
outpatient rehabilitation facilities
¨ Independent living
centers
¨ Elementary and
secondary school settings
¨ Colleges and
universities
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Correctional
facilities & half-way houses
Depending on the setting, RCs may
have different job titles:
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Vocational
rehabilitation counselor
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Case manager
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Disability advocate
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Transition specialist
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Substance abuse counselor
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School counselor
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College
counselor/advisor
Employment Outlook.
There are an estimated 54 million
Americans who have physical, mental, or psychological disabilities that
restrict their living activities and prevent them from obtaining or
maintaining jobs, therefore the
employment outlook
for the profession is
excellent. Recent studies project
a future shortage in the number of
counselors who can provide assistance to persons with disability.
Overall employment of counselors is
expected to “grow faster than the average” (21%-35%) for all occupations
through 2012, and job opportunities
should be very good because there are
usually more job openings than graduates of counseling programs. In addition,
numerous job openings will occur as many counselors retire or leave the
profession.
Under managed care systems,
insurance companies are increasingly providing for reimbursement of counselors
as a less costly alternative to psychiatrists and psychologists. Also,
legislation is pending that may provide counseling services to Medicare
recipients.
The number of people who will need
rehabilitation counseling is expected to grow
as the population continues to age and as advances in medical technology
continue to save lives that only a few years ago would have been lost. In
addition, legislation requiring equal employment rights for people with
disabilities will spur demand for
counselors, who not only will help these people make a transition into the
workforce, but also will help companies comply with the law. Employment of mental health
counselors will grow as the Nation
becomes more comfortable seeking professional help for a variety of health and
personal problems. Employers also are
increasingly
offering employee assistance programs that provide mental health
and alcohol and drug abuse services. More people are expected to use these
services as society focuses on ways of developing
mental well-being, such as controlling stress associated with job
and family responsibilities.
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Licensure
and Certification
Certification and licensure of rehabilitation counselors help protect the
public and provide a means of identifying those individuals who possess the
minimum training and meet supervised work experience standards established by
professional groups and governmental agencies.
Licensure.
Licensing bodies are authorized through state legislature.
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Licensed
Professional Counselor (LPC).
A
counseling license is a credential authorized by a state legislature that
regulates the title and/or practice of professional counselors. Rehabilitation
counselors are eligible for LPC in nearly all states (including Louisiana)
that regulate counselors; licensure requirements include passing an
examination, acquiring needed supervised counseling experience, and, in some
states, completing specified coursework.
http://www.lpcboard.org/ |
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Licensed
Rehabilitation Counselor (LRC). Three states in the U.S. have authorized
the licensure of rehabilitation counselors through state legislature,
Louisiana, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Hawaii to provide regulation of the
practice of vocational rehabilitation counseling and to provide
regulation of the use of the title LRC.
http://www.lrcboard.org/ |
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Licensed Addiction Counselor (LAC).
www.lsbcsac.org
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Certification.
Certifications are authorized through
independent bodies. RCs are eligible for a variety of certifications:
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Certified
Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC). The Commission on Rehabilitation
Counselor Certification (CRCC), an independent credentialing body incorporated
in 1974, certifies rehabilitation counselors throughout the United States and
in several other countries who meet educational and work experience
requirements, pass an examination, and maintain certification by completing
100 hours of acceptable continuing education credits every 5 years.
http://www.crccertification.com/
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Certified Addiction Counselor
(CAC).
www.lsbcsac.org |
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Other Certification
Options.
Certified
Case Manager (CCM)
http://www.ccmcertification.org/
Certified
Disability Management Specialist (CDMS)
http://www.cdms.org/
Certified
Vocational Evaluator (CVE)
http://www.ccwaves.org/
National
Certified Addiction Counselor (NCAC)
http://naadac.org/documents/display.php?DocumentID=19
Certified
Life Care Planner (CLCP)
http://www.cdec1.com/
National Certified Counselor (NCC) and National Certified School Counselor (NCSC)
www.nbcc.org
LSUHSC Department of
Rehabilitation Counseling meets the accreditation standards for CORE,
deeming students eligible to sit for the CRCC exam. Upon graduation,
students meet the curriculum requirements for LPC and LRC in Louisiana. Currently,
students have been successful in pursing a variety of credentialing options
based on the student's area of interest. The Department of Rehabilitation
Counseling is not responsible for ensuring that students are eligible for
licensure and certification, however. It is the student’s responsible to
identify the educational and experiential requirements for desired licensure
and certification application eligibility. The LSUHSC Department of
Rehabilitation Counseling will make all efforts to meet the individual needs
of each student (i.e., fieldwork placement with a certain disability
population).
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Important Links and Resources
Professional:
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Council on Rehabilitation Education
http://www.core-rehab.org/
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American Counseling Association
http://www.counseling.org/
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National Rehabilitation Association
http://www.nationalrehab.org/website/index.html
Resources:
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Certified Rehabilitation Counselor Examination
http://www.crcexam.com/
http://luna.cas.usf.edu/~rasch/areas.html
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Employment
http://dept.kent.edu/rehab/internship_opps.htm
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National Clearinghouse of Rehabilitation
Training Materials
http://www.nchrtm.okstate.edu/rrc/
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